Abstract
Plants living in natural communities rely entirely on numerous defense mechanisms to cope with abiotic stress. The mechanisms that enable plants to perceive the environmental conditions in which they grow and to respond to abiotic stressors are complex, consisting of cascades of multiple reactions. In recent years it has become apparent that sulfur metabolism, and in particular the tripeptide thiol glutathione, play critical roles in protecting the cells of plants under abiotic stress. Although numerous studies have investigated the impact of abiotic stress on the cells of higher plants, far fewer studies have investigated the impact on the cells of bryophytes. In this chapter the importance of glutathione for the survival of bryophytes exposed to selected abiotic stressors is discussed.